Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $9.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    The Enlightened Bracketologist: The Final Four of Everything
    The Enlightened Bracketologist: The Final Four of Everything
    The Enlightened Bracketologist: The Final Four of Everything
    Ebook331 pages1 hour

    The Enlightened Bracketologist: The Final Four of Everything

    By Nigel Holmes, Richard Sandomir and Mark Reiter

    3.5/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Every March, the NCAA men's basketball tournament blankets newspapers and the Internet, and attracts millions of television viewers over the course of three weeks. Will a perennial favorite like Duke win? Or will it be a dark horse like Gonzaga? The phenomenon known as March Madness galvanizes a nation of viewers as few other sports events can. The reason? Bracketology. America eagerly watches as 64 teams become 32, then 16, then 8, then 4, then 2, and finally #1.
    Now it's time to use the same rigorous method for everything that really matters in culture, people, history, the arts and more. In The Enlightened Bracketologist the editors have organized the world's most haunting and maddeningly subjective questions into a scheme of binary pairings that finally reveal what is truly the best in its class: La Tache or Chateau Latour? (1) Barry Bonds or Terrell Owens? (2) "Vissi d'arte" or "Dove Sono"? (3) OJ verdict or JFK assassination? (4) "Top of the world, Ma" or "Nobody's perfect"? (5) Two by two, The Enlightened Bracketologist pits our cultural mainstays against each other; only the finest survive. Every double-page spread of this book will contain a series of brackets compiled by experts and celebrities, with text call-outs that highlight the reason why one competitor moves on and another doesn't. Already committed are Elvis Costello on popular songs; David Bouley on cookbooks; Leon Fleisher on piano music; Reneé Fleming on opera arias; Henry Beard on French phrases; Joseph Ward on wine.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBloomsbury USA
    Release dateDec 9, 2008
    ISBN9781596919471
    The Enlightened Bracketologist: The Final Four of Everything

    Related to The Enlightened Bracketologist

    Related ebooks

    Social Science For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      BEST Baseball BOOKS OF 2020

      Nov 20, 2020

      In a year made for reading rather than rooting, the nation’s publishers hit a home run in producing great baseball literature. Titles range from “The New Baseball Bible: Notes, Nuggets, Lists, and Legends from Our National Pastime” to biographies of

      6 min read

    • Article

      Frankly Fran

      Jul 6, 2021

      Frankly Fran
      1 min read

    • Article

      The Anarchists

      Sep 15, 2022

      Utopian political communities are hard to get off the ground, regardless of their ideological underpinnings. Trying to create them out of a drug- and booze-fueled conference in a Mexican resort city doesn’t make the task any easier. That’s the simple

      1 min read

    • Article

      We Tell These Lies When Looking For Love Online

      May 1, 2018

      Lying about availability is a common deception online dating users tell potential partners, according to a new paper. “Communication technologies connect us now more than ever,” says Jeffrey Hancock, a professor of communication in Stanford Universit

      3 min read

    • Article

      What Does Nate Silver Know?

      Feb 3, 2020

      What Does Nate Silver Know?
      7 min read

    • Article

      Is America’s Media Divide Destroying Democracy?

      Apr 16, 2019

      Separate media spheres create separate realities – and a challenge for unity. Seventh in our “Democracy Under Strain” series.

      10 min read

    • Article

      The Seriousness Of Play

      Apr 30, 2018

      The Seriousness Of Play
      4 min read

    • Article

      How Baseball Cards Got Weird

      Oct 12, 2019

      How Baseball Cards Got Weird
      8 min read

    • Article

      Torching the Modern-Day Library of Alexandria

      Apr 20, 2017

      “Somewhere at Google there is a database containing 25 million books and nobody is allowed to read them.”

      24 min read

    • Article

      Collecting Hall Of Fame Rookies

      Aug 7, 2021

      Collecting Hall Of Fame Rookies
      6 min read

    • Article

      Top 10 Seattle Mariners

      Jan 4, 2023

      Hit: 55 Power: 50 Speed: 60 Fielding: 45 Arm: 60 BA Grade: 55 Risk: High Born: February 21, 2003. B-T: R-R. HT: 5-10. WT: 200. Drafted: HS—Kennesaw, GA, 2021 (1st round). Signed by: John Wiedenbauer. TRACK RECORD: Ford emerged as the top high school

      13 min read

    • Article

      Make the Collabs Stop

      Aug 18, 2023

      Make the Collabs Stop
      5 min read

    • Article

      Google Isn’t Grad School

      Jul 6, 2023

      Google Isn’t Grad School
      4 min read

    • Article

      How the Vape Shops Won

      Jun 22, 2023

      How the Vape Shops Won
      9 min read

    • Article

      Getting Right with Reagan: The Struggle for True Conservatism, 1980–2016

      Mar 15, 2022

      By Marcus M. Witcher Lawrence: University of Kansas Press, 2019. Pp. xi, 428. $39.95 hardcover. What is “conservatism”? Which U.S. president do “conservatives” most admire? For many people, the answer to the second question is “Ronald Reagan.” For mo

      4 min read

    • Article

      New Baseball Cards For (hopefully) A New Season

      Mar 19, 2022

      With the hopes of the Major League Baseball season being in full swing this summer, March and April are great months for the release of new baseball card products with some of the most iconic and long-running products hitting shelves in the lead up t

      5 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for The Enlightened Bracketologist

    3.5/5

    14 ratings1 review

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      Someone asks you, "What's your favorite food?"; you quickly answer "Spaghetti", because it's at the tip of your tongue. But then you start thinking...what about pizza? what about cheese fondue? what about donuts (and are they actually "doughnuts")? This is where you need bracketology. Yes, the system used in sports playoffs. With bracketology, you can put pizza against cheese fondue (and all of your other favorites) and really get to the heart of which is your absolute favorite, which favorite knocks all other favorites out of the bracket. This is, of course, a silly book. It ranks cheeses, beers, speeches in history, dogs, golfers, cartoon characters, and much, much more. For a topic you care about, the bracket is fascinating. For those that you don't, well, pages turn for a reason. The editor invited guest experts to create the brackets, so you're not reading one guy's take on all of these disparate subjects. It gives one lots to argue with, and--if you're like me--a "to do" list of cheeses to try.

    Book preview

    The Enlightened Bracketologist - Nigel Holmes

    The Enlightened Bracketologist

    Also by Mark Reiter

    What Got You Here Won't Get You There (with Marshall Goldsmith)

    The Creative Habit (with Twyla Tharp)

    Also by Richard Sandomir

    Don't Worry, Stop Sweating...Use Deodorant! (with Rick Wolff)

    Life for Real Dummies (with Rick Wolff)

    The Joy of Baldness

    Bald Like Me

    The Enlightened

    Bracketologist

    The Final Four of Everything

    Edited by

    Mark Reiter and

    Richard Sandomir

    Designed by Nigel Holmes

    BLOOMSBURY

    Copyright © 2007 by Mark Reiter and Richard Sandomir

    All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

    For information address Bloomsbury USA, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.

    Published by Bloomsbury USA, New York

    Distributed to the trade by Holtzbrinck Publishers

    All papers used by Bloomsbury USA are natural, recyclable products made from wood grown in well-managed forests.

    The manufacturing processes conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin.

    Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for. style="text-align:

    eISBN: 978-1-59691-947-1

    Final Four is a registered trademark of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and is used herein with permission of the NCAA.

    First U.S. Edition 2007

    3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

    Designed and typeset by Nigel Holmes

    Printed in the United States of America by RR Donnelley, Crawfordsville

    To Griffin Miller,

    who will always win the

    most important bracket.

    —R.S.

    To Marie, Nick,

    Will, and Hilde.

    —M.R.

    CONTENTS

    Introduction

    1 March Madness Moments

    by GARY PARRISH

    2 Where Were You When Moments

    by MARK REITER

    3 Animation Characters

    by ROZ CHAST

    4 Ad Slogans

    by PHIL DUSENBERRY

    5 Alt-Country Songs

    by PETER BLACKSTOCK and GRANT ALDEN

    6 American Beers

    by MAUREEN OGLE

    7 American Plays

    by PETER MARKS

    8 Bald Guys

    by RICHARD SANDOMIR

    9 Baseball Myths

    by RICHARD LALLY

    10 Black-and-White TV Programs

    by ROBERT THOMPSON

    11 James Bond Gadgets

    by LOIS H. GRESH and ROBERT WEINBERG

    12 Dodosaurs

    by RICK MEYEROWITZ

    13 Bob Dylan Cover Songs

    by DALTON DELAN

    14 Candy Bars

    by SCOTT MOWBRAY

    15 Mondegreens, or Misheard Lyrics

    by MIKKI HALPIN

    16 Celebrity Sports Couples

    by SELENA ROBERTS

    17 CEOs

    by JOHN A BYRNE

    18 Spokes characters Who Will Shill for Food

    by STUART ELLIOTT

    19 Cheese

    by MAX McCALMAN and DAVID GIBBONS

    20 Chick Flicks

    by CARRIE GERLACH CECIL

    21 Crosswordese

    by TYLER HINMAN

    22 Classic Comedies

    by ROBERTWUHL

    23 Conspiracy Theories

    by KURT ANDERSEN

    24 Corporate Jargon

    by STANLEY BING

    25 Dogs for the Ages

    by CLAUDIA KAWCZYNSKA and CAMERON W OO

    26 Marital Arguments

    by PHIL LEE and DIANE RUDOLPH

    27 Elmore Leonard Novels

    by MARK REITER

    28 Elvis Costello Songs

    by MARK REITER

    29 Emoticons

    by J. DBIERSDORFER

    30 Endangered Species

    by CHRISTOPHER L JENKINS

    31 Cooking Tools

    by BILLYOSSES

    32 Economic Indicators

    by TIM HARFORD

    33 Film Deaths

    by MATTHEW SHEPATIN

    34 Frank Sinatra Songs

    by DAVID McCUNTICK

    35 Freshwater and Saltwater Flies

    by PETER KAMINSKY

    36 Fruit

    by NEILAMDUR

    37 Game Show Catchphrases

    by KEN JENNINGS

    38 Sportscaster Signature Calls

    by RICHARD SANDOMIR

    39 Memorable Speech Lines

    by JEFFSHESOL

    40 Golf Swing Thoughts

    by CHRISTOPHER SMITH

    41 Horses for the Ages

    by WILLIAM NACK

    42 Jock Films

    by RICHARD SANDOMIR

    43 Guilty Pleasures

    by SIMON TREWIN, TOM BROMLEY, and MICHAEL MORAN

    44 Guitar Solos

    by ALLEN ST. JOHN

    45 Hairstyles

    by GERSH KUNTZMAN

    46 Hip

    by JOHNLELAND

    47 Indie Rock Albums

    by JOHN SELLERS

    48 Innovations in Sports

    by JAMES BOICE

    49 Inventions

    by ADI IGNATIUS

    50 Investment Strategies

    by CLARK WINTER

    51 Most Likely to Survive the 21 st Century

    by MICHAEL ROGERS

    52 Jew/Not a Jew

    by MICHAEL SOLOMON

    53 Kings and Queens of England

    by CLIVEASLET

    54 Latin Grammar

    by HENRY BEARD

    55 Long Songs

    by JENSCARSTENSEN

    56 Longevity Strategies

    by DAVID J. LEFFELL

    57 Magical Sports Numbers

    by RICHARD SANDOMIR

    58 Male Vices

    by JOHN ALBERT

    59 Meaningless Sports Statistics

    by ALLEN ST. JOHN

    60 Most Jersey

    by TRIS McCALL

    61 Mythological Figures

    by JAMES C. HOGAN

    62 NASCAR Phrases

    by JEFF MacGREGOR

    63 Newspaper Headlines

    by JOHN WALTER

    64 Opera Arias (Male)

    by NEIL SHICOFF

    65 Paul Simon Songs

    by LUKE DEMPSEY

    66 Perfect Book Titles

    by ROBERT S. MILLER

    67 Pickup Lines

    by EM and LO

    68 Punctuation

    by JESSE SHEIDLOWER

    69 Short Books

    by SARA NELSON

    70 Plastic Surgery Disasters

    by MICHAEL MUSTO

    71 Political Blunders of the Last 50 Years

    by PAUL SLANSKY

    72 Political Hot Buttons

    by MO ROCCA

    73 Presidential Speeches

    by CURT SMITH

    74 Priceless Things

    by LEILA DUNBAR

    75 Rednecks

    by ALLISON GLOCK

    76 Red Wines

    by JOSEPH WARD

    77 Rivalries

    by WILL BLYTHE

    78 Samuel L Jackson Films

    by RICK STAEHLING

    79 Scrabble Words

    by STEFAN FATSIS

    80 Sex and the City Wisdom

    by SHERRI RIFKIN

    81 Shakespeare in Film

    by TOMAKSTENS

    82 Sidekicks

    by STEVEN REDDICLIFFE

    83 Simple Things

    by HENRY PETROSKI

    84 Sins Against the Language

    by BENYAGODA

    85 Sport/Not a Sport

    by BILL SCHEFT

    86 Sports Books

    by DICK FRIEDMAN

    87 Sucker Bets

    by RICHARD HOFFER

    88 Talk Show Hosts

    by BILL CARTER

    89 Tell Me Again Why They're Famous

    by LARRY AMOROS

    90 Troll Models

    by ROBERT LIPSYTE

    91 TV One-Liners

    by MICHAEL DAVIS

    92 Typefaces

    by NIGEL HOLMES

    93 Underdogs

    by MARK ST. AM ANT

    94 Video Games

    by SETH SCHIESEL

    95 Wedding Gifts

    by MARCY BLUM

    96 White Wines

    by JOSEPH WARD

    97 Women's Magazine Sex Cliches

    by STEPHANIE DOLGOFF

    98 Women's Undies

    by SPANKYVANAKEN

    99 Your Boss's Annoying Habits

    by MARSHALL GOLDSMITH

    100 Yiddish Phrases

    by MICHAEL WEX

    101 Shakespeare Insults

    by LAWRENCE GOODMAN

    Coda

    Acknowledgments

    INTRODUCTION

    By Mark Reiter

    What is enlightenment?

    Better question: What is Bracketology?

    Bracketology is a way of seeing the world so that we can become more enlightened—about what we like, favor, prefer, abhor, or abjure. (Bracketology can even help us determine if we prefer the word abhor to abjure.) It is a system that helps us make clearer and cleaner decisions about what is good, better, best in our world.

    Let's bring it down to a real-world level.

    Has this ever happened to you?

    Someone asks you,What's your favorite movie? Not a deep question, but a probing one, something that comes up occasionally among reasonably curious folk—or men and women on their second date. Your favorite movie is a classic single-question personality profile that reveals you, an easy-to-apply litmus test that gives folks a snapshot of who you are or think you are or want the world to think you are. Whether that film is Die Hard or Four Weddings and a Funeral or Top Hat or Grand Illusion or Reservoir Dogs or Persona or Groundhog Day, your answer signals your worldliness and sophistication, your sense of humor, and, most particularly, your individuality.

    If you're like most people you have a default response that is either The Godfather The Godfather

    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1